Tuesday 7 May 2019

The Dork Diaries Collection from Books2Door - Review!

The way I can describe Ellie is a fussy reader. If she is made to read she is very reluctant. Every evening when she was a primary school we had battles with her to get her to read her school book. Now she's at secondary school they are not forced to read at home so Ellie now finds pleasure in reading.

Recently I was contacted by the lovely people at Books2Door and asked if we would like to review their service and their books. 


At Books2Door they want to encourage a love of reading in all children. That's why they have been selling exceptional books at affordable prices since 2004. They select books that they know children will fall in love with, from treasured classics to the latest must-have series. There is something for every child, from reluctant readers to eager bookworms.

I was sent a voucher code to use on the website and we got to choose which ever books we wanted.

Recently Ellie discovered the Dork Diaries which she borrowed from school and she got right into it and said there was more books in the series so I searched and the whole set of books were there! Fantastic.

The Dork Diaries Rachel Renee Russell Collection - 12 Books Set brings together Rachel RenĂ©e Russell’s internationally best-selling series, Dork Diaries. 

They are written in a fun filled diary format and offer an insight into the life of the tween dork, Nikki. When she moves to a new school she decides it's the perfect time to leave her old lame ways behind but things are never that simple. Read about how she struggles with her life at her new school, new crushes, new mean girls and a new challenge to not be a dork. These books will be enjoyed by any child aged 9 or over who enjoys (or endures!) the sparklier side of tween life.

Ordering was simple. Add the book/books to your basket, checkout and pay. It was straightforward and I was kept informed via email when my order was accepted, processed, was out for delivery and so on. It was trouble and stress free! I used Standard Delivery and they arrived in three days.

The books were packaged well and as soon as the box arrived Ellie was keen to get into it. She squealed with delight when she opened the box. She knew there was more than a couple of the Dork Diaries books but had no idea there was 12!


The books we received were:

Dork Diaries - In the first Dork Diaries book, we are introduced to Nikki Maxwell, the new girl at school. But, there's a problem. Nikki doesn't fit in at her new school, in fact, all the popular girls call her a "dork". Nikki finds comfort in her diary, scribbling and drawing funny doodles and documenting her rivalry with her arch nemesis Mackenzie Hollister.

Party TimeThings are looking up for Nikki, she's finally made friends and her crush, Brandon, has asked to be her lab partner in science! But, when Mackenzie starts bragging that Brandon is taking her to the school's Halloween party, Nikki decides she's not going and agrees to spend Halloween at her little sister's party instead. Then, she finds out that Mackenzie was lying so there might still be a chance for her and Brandon but she's already promised to stay with her sister how can she juggle two parties on one night?!

Pop Star - Nikki can't wait to get up on stage with her best friends, Chloe and Zoey, when she hears about the school talent competition. She's determined to impress her crush and show off her amazing singing skills when she learns that Mackenzie is plotting to steal her limelight by entering the competition as well! What will happen when these rivals take to the stage? 

How to Dork Your DiaryCreate your own Dork Diary with this special, interactive addition to the New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries series. It is chock full of tips from Nikki on fun things to write about in your diary, with lots of space for readers to write and draw their own entries.

Skating Sensation - Nikki's putting her ice skates on and teaming up with her BFFs for a skate a thon to raise funds for the animal shelter her crush, Brandon volunteers for. However, just one problem, Nikki can't actually skate... yet! She's determined to learn but, first, she's going to have to stop Mackenzie from swooping in to save the day before Nikki's even had the chance to try. 

Dear DorkAfter Nikki's arch nemesis, Mackenzie Hollister, starts writing rumours in a gossip column for the school newspaper, Nikki is determined to do what she can to stop Mackenzie from writing about Brandon. So, she decides to take up the role of agony aunt for the newspaper to keep an eye on Mackenzie. But, when she starts replying to her fellow students' messages under the alias "Miss Know It All", she realises being an advice columnist is a more important job than she ever thought it would be!

Holiday Heartbreak - The school dance is coming around and Nikki is desperate for Brandon to ask her to be his date. But, what's worse than Brandon not asking Nikki? It's him asking Mackenzie! Will Nikki have the night of her life or will she have to watch her crush walk into the dance with her arch nemesis?

TV Star - Fame is coming Nikki's way as a reality TV crew start filming Niki and her friends for a month as they record their new hit single. But, life in front of the camera may not go so smoothly for Nikki and her friends as they face the cost of fame. 

Once Upon a Dork - Nikki has a very strange experience after suffering from a bump on the head. She dreams that herself, her friends, Brandon and Mackenzie are all characters in familiar fairy tales. Will this dream fade into a nightmare? 

Drama Queen - The story is about to get turned upside down as Mackenzie steals Nikki's diary! Not only does she find out all Nikki's personal thoughts, she decides to start telling her own story. What is life like for the school's mean girl? 

Puppy Love - When the animal shelter that Brandon volunteers for has to turn away a litter of puppies after becoming full to capacity, Nikki comes to the rescue! She takes in all seven puppies and then realises she has a pretty big obstacle to get around with her parents not allowing her to have dogs in the house! So, she concocts a plan to hide them in her house at night and sneak them into school with her during the day. But, how long can this last before she gets caught?

Frenemies Forever - When Nikki spends a week at North Hampton Hills for a school transfer programme, the last person she wants to run into is mean girl Mackenzie! But, as Nikki and Mackenzie come face-to-face with the NHH queen bee, Tiffany, Mackenzie realises she's just met her match. It may just be that the only way to survive the week is for Nikki and Mackenzie to team up to bring down Tiffany and her mean ways together.



Ellie LOVES these books. I mean, really loves them. She is onto the 3rd one already and is nearly finished that. Usually she will only read in bed but she has been bringing the current books downstairs to read which is unheard of here. 

For that reason I am a big fan of these books too. Anything which gets my girls reading are a winner with me. 

I have also skimmed through a few of them and they remind me of the Diary Of A Wimpy Kid books but more aimed at girls. They are age appropriate which is fantastic. I always worry that Ellie will read something that is too old for her but these books are perfect for a tween girl. In the books there are doodles and cute drawings which make them look like a diary which I think is one of the things which really appeal to my girl.

We are big fans of the Dork Diaries here. Has your children ever read any of them?

We were sent these books free of charge in exchange for this blog post.

6 comments :

  1. My daughter's best friend loves The Dork Diaries but my daughter hasn't read them.

    Sometimes it can take a while to find the right books for a reluctant reader but it's really great to hear that Ellie is enjoying them so much and has discovered that reading can be fun. Books2 Door sounds like a great service too :)

    #MMBC

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  2. My eldest used to enjoy Dork Diaries when she was a bit younger. I will have to check out Books2Door as my youngest adores reading (I wish his sisters did) x

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  3. Violet loved those books too. I agree with all you say about them, they are good.
    Sounds like a great service you've found there. :O)

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  4. My daughter has all of these and loves them. She's read them all several times over, so they must be good! x

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  5. What a fab service! Both of my boys love their books so this would be great for us! Jayden really enjoys the books that have a series too. x

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